Thomas A. Russman argues forcefully that it is now possible to return in a new way to the once familiar ground of epistemological realism-the pre-Cartesian view that things themselves are knowable through perception and that such knowledge is foundational. This view has been rejected by most contemporary philosophers, who follow the path outlined convincingly by the likes of Wilfrid Sellers, Willard Quine, Thomas Kuhn, and Richard Rorty. Recognizing that any return to philosophical realism must deal with the criticisms raised by these prominent philosophers, Professor Russmanoffers his own incisive critique of a contemporary myth-what Karl Popper called “the myth of the framework,” which replaced the earlier “myth of the given,” as Wilfrid Sellars named it in his attack on realism. The battle between theses two myths is, according to Professor Russman, “a battle to the death.” he believes that the observation framework is the abode of permanent truths about the world. He proceeds to explain why the current assumption to the contrary arose and why it is wrong. Then he shows how the “informal foundationalism” that he proposes can avoid the philosophical pitfalls of the earlier formal foundationalism in allowing for political toleration and artistic freedom: it works better than pragmatism as a general epistemology: and it supports a dynamic, nonreductive view of human nature.
Thomas Russman earned an M.A. in Philosophy from The Catholic University of America and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Princeton University. He teaches philosophy at the University of St. Thomas in Houston.